Local comedian's video of teddy bear meeting baby gets buzz

A Minneapolis couple has people saying "awww" and maybe even tearing up a little with an adorable stop-motion video they made for their new baby. Told from the point of view of a teddy bear, Chris and Aimee Knutson created a sweet video about the stuffed animal eagerly awaiting the arrival of its new best friend.

The couple posted the minute-and-a-half piece "Teddy Bear Meets Best Friend" last week and since then, it has garnered more than 37,000 views on YouTube.

The couple started creating the video when Aimee found out she was pregnant in the summer.

"Aimee let me know the dad is supposed to buy the teddy bear," said Chris Knutson, a local comedian. "I found one online that I thought looked perfect. When it arrived and I opened it up, I immediately thought of the idea of doing a stop-motion video with it."

The video, complete with a delightful soundtrack by the couple's friend Casey Nelson, starts with the bear sneaking into the bathroom and spotting the plus sign on a pregnancy test. That's followed by the bear's pure joy at the prospect of getting a new buddy. From there the bear does a happy dance after watching the crib being assembled and is overjoyed when looking at an ultrasound image.

But the final scenes couldn't be filmed until the baby was born.

"Part of the fun was waiting for our final actor," said Knutson, about his son Henry who was born in mid-April.

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As the video comes to an end, the bear awaiting mom, dad and baby Henry's arrival from the hospital. The heart-warming conclusion shows the bear being placed in the crib next to Henry.

Getting the final moment where the two meet was harder than Knutson expected. He wanted to shoot it the first week home with Henry, but said the couple was so overwhelmed with being first-time parents that getting the right shot had to wait.

"I finally decided to take the final shots and whatever temperament Henry had, that's just what it was going to be," Knutson said. "We got him when it looks like he's kind of smiling when he sees the bear. We got kind of lucky there."

One thing you won't see on the video is the couples' faces. That was a conscious decision on their part taking inspiration from animated shows like the "Muppet Babies" series and "Peanuts" specials where faces of adult characters are not shown.

"All that matters is the kid and the teddy bear," said Knutson, who estimates the project took 60 to 80 hours to complete. "It's about their world, not ours."

Knutson said they used two bears for the shoot including one with a skeleton made out of parts from a Buzz Lightyear doll he found at a thrift store. He rigged it up so they could make the bear walk and stand up. "The bear could totally be a 'Toy Story' character," he said. "We were probably subconsciously inspired by that. We both love a lot of the Pixar stuff."

Fans of the video will be happy to know the couple plan on making more as their son grows up.

"We made it just for Henry and I was a little nervous about posting it at all," he said. "But I couldn't help it because I was pretty proud of it and wanted others to see it. Surprisingly, people like it."

And if you're curious about Knutson's comedy, it's quite the contrast from the teddy bear video. He said he likes to take risks and provoke thought with his edgy material that earned him the title of Acme Comedy Company's Funniest Person in the Twin Cities in 2010.

"I'm sure the people who enjoy my comedy, definitely won't enjoy this video," laughed Knutson, who is also part of comedy groups the Turkeys and Valley Meadows. "And the people who enjoy this video, will absolutely not enjoy my comedy.